Nivek wrote:Not as true this season as it was previous years -- at least so far. Griffin appears to have put in considerable work on his shooting. He's average or better at-rim (duh -- .735 to lg avg .642), from 3-9 feet (.510 to .385), from 10-15 feet (.433 to .415) and 16-23 feet (.390 to .380). Not much of a 3pt shooter, though.

Virtually everyone's efficiency drops when you keep them away from the rim. Griffin -- so far this season -- has become about average at shooting the ball with some range. Which will help him get more attempts at the rim as defenses start respecting him out on the floor. Plus, he's still above average in other categories.

And, he's 23. I'd take him on my team.

No one is saying he's not good statistically. But there are two types of players, those who rely on athleticism and size and those who rely on skills. I appreciate, and I think most people on this board do too, skill over athleticism. I'd much rather watch Duncan or Nene show off some awesome footwork than Blake just going DUHH and dunking it. So when someone says "Griffin isn't that good at basketball" that's usually what they are referring to. His game is still very raw.

Nivek wrote:Not as true this season as it was previous years -- at least so far. Griffin appears to have put in considerable work on his shooting. He's average or better at-rim (duh -- .735 to lg avg .642), from 3-9 feet (.510 to .385), from 10-15 feet (.433 to .415) and 16-23 feet (.390 to .380). Not much of a 3pt shooter, though.

Virtually everyone's efficiency drops when you keep them away from the rim. Griffin -- so far this season -- has become about average at shooting the ball with some range. Which will help him get more attempts at the rim as defenses start respecting him out on the floor. Plus, he's still above average in other categories.

And, he's 23. I'd take him on my team.

No one is saying he's not good statistically. But there are two types of players, those who rely on athleticism and size and those who rely on skills. I appreciate, and I think most people on this board do too, skill over athleticism. I'd much rather watch Duncan or Nene show off some awesome footwork than Blake just going DUHH and dunking it. So when someone says "Griffin isn't that good at basketball" that's usually what they are referring to. His game is still very raw.

It's probably time that the "Griffin is nothing more than a dunker" scouting report got an update. As noted above, he's shooting jumpers better this season than in his first two years. He's still a good passer -- third most assists per minute among PFs. Shooting and passing -- skills. Maybe his post-up game isn't smooth and pretty, but he appears to be a guy willing to work on his game. He's already improved his shooting...maybe his post-up game is next on the list.

I'd definitely take Duncan over him (for this season), but Griffin -- whatever his perceived faults -- is productive, young and appears to be improving. There aren't many PFs in the game I would take over Griffin.

"A lot of what we call talent is the desire to practice."-- Malcolm Gladwell

Yeah, he's no doubt improved his jumper. I don't see much improvement in his post game though. He had a few shots in the last game where he jumped with his back to the basket and tried to spin in mid air before shooting, a common sign of poor footwork IMO.

Nivek wrote:It's probably time that the "Griffin is nothing more than a dunker" scouting report got an update. As noted above, he's shooting jumpers better this season than in his first two years. He's still a good passer -- third most assists per minute among PFs. Shooting and passing -- skills. Maybe his post-up game isn't smooth and pretty, but he appears to be a guy willing to work on his game. He's already improved his shooting...maybe his post-up game is next on the list.

I'd definitely take Duncan over him (for this season), but Griffin -- whatever his perceived faults -- is productive, young and appears to be improving. There aren't many PFs in the game I would take over Griffin.

I realize that it's not a good idea to make extrapolations from one game, but I gotta say that Griffin was very unimpressive against the Wizards. He was 5-18, and I know at least two of those field goals were accomplished solely by sprinting up court and outrunning the defense to get deep position against a mismatched defender. Take away those 2 buckets and he was 3-16 in the conventional half court set. Furthermore, half of his free throw attempts were "earned" via star treatment, not on the merits of the play. Basically, Nene, Seraphin and Booker owned him.

Nivek wrote:It's probably time that the "Griffin is nothing more than a dunker" scouting report got an update. As noted above, he's shooting jumpers better this season than in his first two years. He's still a good passer -- third most assists per minute among PFs. Shooting and passing -- skills. Maybe his post-up game isn't smooth and pretty, but he appears to be a guy willing to work on his game. He's already improved his shooting...maybe his post-up game is next on the list.

I'd definitely take Duncan over him (for this season), but Griffin -- whatever his perceived faults -- is productive, young and appears to be improving. There aren't many PFs in the game I would take over Griffin.

I realize that it's not a good idea to make extrapolations from one game, but I gotta say that Griffin was very unimpressive against the Wizards. He was 5-18, and I know at least two of those field goals were accomplished solely by sprinting up court and outrunning the defense to get deep position against a mismatched defender. Take away those 2 buckets and he was 3-16 in the conventional half court set. Furthermore, half of his free throw attempts were "earned" via star treatment, not on the merits of the play. Basically, Nene, Seraphin and Booker owned him.

If you'd watched him against Orlando a few nights earlier, your impression would be quite different -- 30, 8 and 7, including 3-4 from 16-23 feet. He likely looked better last night when he went for 26, 13 and 8 against Golden State.

Your first sentence is correct.

"A lot of what we call talent is the desire to practice."-- Malcolm Gladwell

Lebron might have redeemed himself in terms of his play on the court - he's clearly the best player in the NBA right now, fourth quarters included. But he still whines like a baby when things don't go his way.

More like a fade away to the side. Super quick release to get it off when they knew there were only a few seconds left. Beaucoup de swag to run back before it went in. Lookin like vintage arenas. Gave em that work.